The Line You Crossed
by RoseofDestiny
Summary: One of the kids next door betrayed the others.The one he would have never suspected.
1. Chapter 1

-1**Author's Note:** It would seem that it has been a great while since I've written anything. More than two years, in fact, I believe. Well, that needs to be fixed. Off the bat, I warn you - highly tempermental author on your hands. I can take bad reviews, what I cannot take are blathering ninny hammers who've nothing better to do than write bad reviews for fanfics to a show they do not like in the first place, or to a story that has a coupling they don't like. It's a cartoon. Get over it. Not a one shot (for clarification to those people who keep sending me "I hope you write another story continuing this soon" after every chapter)

It was probably the least likely turn of events. If you had asked Hoagie Gilligan at eleven who he thought would ever end up betraying the Kids Next Door, his first, and only, answer would be "no one". Even after Chad left. Even with the horror stories he heard about the kids who refused to undergo decommissioning, and turned evil.

He himself had escaped the decommissioning, but by playing by the rules. He was inducted into the Teens Next Door, the teenage branch of the Kids Next Door. Their numbers were slim, but they were the best there was. They had served their terms in the KND in such a way that they just could not be let go of, not even on their thirteenth birthday.

She had been scheduled to become one of them. _Sorta ruined it, though, didn't you? _he thought bitterly, jerking his wrench away from the part of the engine he was tightening. To say he felt embittered was to make a mountain into a molehill. _Why am I even thinking about this now? _he thought, briefly glancing over the rest of the engine block to ensure that nothing else was wrong with the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.

_Because you ran into her today, _the more logical side of his brain answered. Even now, a year later, Hoagie was not over the shock. Or the hurt. He had known…well, he had known even then that there was no hope for him to be with her. That she would never think about him in the way that he constantly thought about her. But he had not expected her to turncoat. No one had.

_So unlike you, Fanny… _He noted, for once his mind not immediately associating her name with a snake. She had always been so strong. Full of anger, especially towards the male gender, yes, but never weak. Until that one day. Hoagie's mind played it back to him, more vivid then he ever wished to remember.

"_I can do it myself, you stupid boy," she'd snarled at him as he tried to help her dress her wound. Her ankle had been broken in the most recent assault against father. "Second wound in two weeks' time.." _

_Hoagie had studied her in that moment. She looked sad for a moment, but it had been a very small peak behind the mask. It was enough. That was the day Hoagie decided there was more to Francine Fulbright than he had ever thought before. _

"_I'm tired a' this," she'd said suddenly. Hoagie didn't understand what she meant. She seemed to forget that he was even there, her eyes showing how deep in thought she was. "Kids are just all weak. All o' us…" She had sighed then. "Only one thing fer it, and I just may have to…"_

"_Have to what?" Hoagie pressed, suddenly feeling a cold sensation traveling through his body. Something was very wrong here._

"_Nothin, ya stupid boy! Go find something' else tah do, you're annoyin' me."_

Hoagie shifted back to reality as she shook his head. He had been the only one with a warning of what Fanny had intended to do, and he had not taken the opportunity to do anything. He'd been distracted. That one moment of weakness had let him peer enough into Fanny to pay attention to her and see the other good traits. They never quite outweighed the bad, but somewhere along the lines, they had drawn even.

It had been the day of Hoagie's decommissioning that Fanny had taken action. An extreme assault on the Kids Next Door, hitting all the right spots. The moon base had never been the same. The current leader, Numbuh 53, had finally given in and invited Hoagie up to the moon base to repair it. The word about the Teens Next Door was out, though 53 had countered it with a rumor that there was only, and had only ever been, one team, and that's all there ever would be.

He was about to leave for there now. But he was frazzled. His thoughts kept drifting back to Fanny. Her moment of weakness. Her betrayal. And more interestingly, today. He had seen her at the café most of the TND members liked to hang out in. Wally and Nigel had tensed when they saw her. Rachel had looked like she was about to cry.

But Hoagie had just observed her, noting every little thing she did. She ordered a vanilla latte with chocolate sprinkles. She had four more freckles than she had the day she attacked the moon base. Her hair was still the exact same style, save a tiny clip in her hair. A butterfly. Hoagie just sipped his drink, watching her. Memorizing everything about her.

And when she turned to leave, he noticed something the others were too angry to ever hope to see.

Her eyes met his, and in that deep pool of green, he noticed something that filled him with hope. Sadness. In his heart, he knew she regretted what she'd done.

Since then, all he could think about was her. She was often on his mind before then, but now…now the siren wouldn't leave him alone. Part of him wanted to go to her, to see if he was right.

But deep down, he just didn't want to get hurt again. Opening up that can of worms was offering not only his heart, but that of the Kids Next Door.

And he wasn't sure he trusted her not to crush them both.


	2. Reflections Of a Lost Girl

-1**Author's note: **Wow, required three reviews met already. And it's now in a C2 group. Wow. Yes, to one of the reviewers, Fanny would probably go through gender change (now there's an idea for a fanfic! --I'm joking, geez, lighten up) then betray the KND. But I was shooting for a character who I could some how have betray while managing to keep in character. For some odd reason, my mind kept coming back to Fanny.

Fanny Fulbright, age fourteen, lounged in her chair. Her eyes narrowed as Father came onto the stage. It was still her reaction every time she saw him. She tried to calm herself, noting that she was on his side now, but that didn't help in the least bit. She rapped her long, slender fingers on the table, softly drumming the tips of her Battle Ready Armor there.

The Crazy Old Cat Lady glared at her, shushing her. Fanny fought off the urge to make a rude hand gesture. She was still under suspicion, even after her help with defeating the moon base. _Rachel got hurt in that, _Fanny thought for a moment, suddenly taking an odd interest in the flickering flame of the single candle in the middle of the table. The room had been darkened.

"My fellow adults, and you teenagers," Father announced. The flame grew taller. "I am proud to announce to you an entirely new plan to destroy those stupid KND brats forever! You all remember Grandfather -"

"Please," Mr. Boss interjected from Fanny's side. He had been so proud of her the day that she'd chosen adults over kids, insisting that they always arrive to these meetings together, "tell me you're not using the exact same plan again! In case you don't remember, he turned us all into Senior Citizombies!"

"I know, I know," Father said, giving a simple shrug. The flame began to flicker. "But I've managed to put all our money into researching my pappy's genetic code. What made him able to do such things so easily. The power will be at our control now," he pulled a jar from under the table. It was filled with some sort of green phosphorous light. The flame began to lean towards the right. "With this, we'll turn all the kids of the world to Senior Citizombies, and force them to do chores for us! And eat all the broccoli!" Cheers went up from the crowd. Nearly every villain was on their feet, applauding.

The flame went out.

"You okay, Fanny-pants?" Mr. Boss asked, heading for the living room as she headed for the stairs.

"Yeah..I'm just fine, dad.." she said, giving a shrug and blowing him a good night kiss before running upstairs.

"Goodnight, my evil little child-stopper!" he called up to her. Fanny went into her room and slammed the door shut. She glanced about. Her room reflected just how much she had changed during this time, though her temper was the same as ever.

The bed was no longer pink, and the only rainbow monkey left, a "Better Days Will Come Soon" Rainbow monkey, was on her bed. Everything else was sterile. White. Ugly. She hated her room this way, but the rainbow monkeys reminded her too much of her childhood, of that awful thing she'd done.

It had been easy enough, though. But why that date? She glanced at the calendar. Today was the anniversary of her betrayal. It was also Hoagie's 14th birthday. She had searched the computer, originally looking for Nigel Uno's birthday, planning to make her treachery that day. But Hoagie's name had stood out on the monitor for some reason. And so, that's the date she had chosen.

She slumped back, hitting her head repeatedly against the pillow before giving into a deep rooted urge and screaming into it. Father had selected herself, Cree, Chad, and another teen operative as the ones to turn the Kids Next Door into Senior Citizombies. She grabbed her rainbow monkey and gave it a tight squeeze, wishing to go back to the way things had once been.

Yes, it had been awkward, what with her father working for the adults and her being with the KND, but he had always made sure not to attack her or her brothers. But, while she was no one's favorite operative, she had had respect in the Kids Next Door. For a while, it had been enough.

_Wasn't until I broke my damn ankle…_she thought bitterly, staring up at her plain white ceiling with disgust. That one moment had been enough. She had lost all sense of control, all sense of loyalty, and gone with the option that would give her more physical strength. It had been selfish, but Fanny was not stupid enough to ever have made the claim not to be.

Her BRAs were all laid out neatly on her dresser, and she glared at them. They were disguises, armor, weapons…everything someone could need for strength. And she hated them. Probably because they defined the very reason she had left the Kids Next Door.

But worse, she was now resigned to her fate. There was no going back now. _No redemption for the wicked, _she thought, stretching her hand out, reaching for something. Whatever it was that she hoped to reach in that moment, it was a year too far away.


	3. Betrayal of the Betrayed

-1Betrayal was not supposed to be a constant factor in a young girl's life. For a long time, Fanny had trust issues, dating back to her third year in the Kids Next Door, when Cree, one of the most respected members and easily the best fighter in the entire KND, ran from decommissioning. It had been a hurtful blow, but Fanny had managed to get over it.

For a little while, anyway. She was ten when it happened again. Chad, who she had followed, served under, for five years went power crazy and tricked the system. That one had stung her pride, being tricked into doing his dirty work for him, as well as just ..hurt. She had thought they had been friends, or something close to it.

After that came Numbuh 12, the first person to ever tell Fanny she'd be her friend. Only to betray her and grab the code module mere hours later. It had been a façade, just a distraction so that the teens could get what they wanted.

Then there was her Father. True, he had never betrayed her directly, but the fact that he fought against the Kids Next Door so fiercely had made her nervous. He had always promised to protect her, though, and he seemed good on his word.

But there were not merely four betrayals in the poor girl's life. No. There were five. When she'd crossed that line, helped the adults, she had become that which she most despised. She had turned her back on the closest thing she had to friends, and on who she herself had once been.

The thoughts whirled and churned through her mind, suffocating her as she tried to sleep. She tossed and turned, wishing the nightmares would end. Because the nightmares were usually just play backs of her own reality. Watching herself give Father the weak points of the moon base. Watching as Cree fired a wild shot at Hoagie, just barely missing. Hearing Rachel's scream as she was hit by Chad's ray over and over again.

Relentlessly the scenes played themselves out, repeating themselves over and over again. Her memory was photographic when it came to her hand in these horror stories. She sucked in air through her mouth, feeling suddenly like she was drowning. The air was hot, and she quickly exhaled, throwing the blankets off of her.

Once upon a time, this girl had been different. Not nice, but she had liked who she was. She had been one of the most fiercely loyal of all the Kids Next Door operatives, once upon a time. But then again, once upon a times happen so rarely…and if you miss your shot once, you'll never get it back.

Hoagie was roused from his sleep by his cell phone going of. "Hello?" he asked groggily, pushing up his goggles. He had fallen asleep in them again….

"Hoagie? It's Rachel," came the strong voice on the other line, "The KND have reported that Father is onto something big. Security was too tight for anybody to infiltrate the convention center in order to tap it or listen in."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Hoagie complained, "It's not like I can build a time machine or something'," Normally he wouldn't sass Rachel, but it was two in the morning, and the pilot was low on sleep lately.

"Fanny Fulbright."

"WHAT?!" Hoagie sat up in his bed, then covered his mouth, praying that his mother, grandmother, or little brother hadn't heard his outburst.

"I need you to investigate her."

"What's to investigate? She's a dirty rotten traitor, and we're all glad to be rid of her," Hoagie said grumpily. This was not what he wanted to talk about. Right now, he didn't want to talk at all, but now he was running the risk of having Fanny Fulbright in his dreams.

"The traitor factor is precisely it," Rachel said simply, "I just need you to sneak into her bedroom and see if you can't find a way to tap her memories. Abby reported seeing her go into the convention center."

"I can't sneak into a girl's bedroom," Hoagie said, wondering if the Teens Next Door leader hadn't completely lost her mind. "Why don't you get Kuki or Abby to do it? At least if they get caught, nobody will get the wrong idea."

"Abby's going on a candy hunting expedition with some friend from outside the TND or KND, and Kuki's not exactly proficient with the tools necessary for a mental tap. And before you suggest Nigel, he's bound to a date with Lizzie. She'll kill him if he doesn't show up this time."

Hoagie sighed. "It's times like these I hate not having a social life," he said, more to himself than to Rachel. Rachel laughed.

"Yeah, but then who else would be my fall back guy?"

"Patton?"

There was silence. "Patton is…uh.." There was silence on the other line. _Oh, great, another hook up,_ Hoagie thought, rolling his eyes. _As if I needed to watch another set of people making goo-goo eyes at each other. _

He adjusted his goggles so that they rested in his crop of sandy brown hair. "Okay, I give. I'll go keep an eye on the banshee, and try to do a mental tap. Any other dirty jobs you want me to do while I'm working my butt off?"

"Yeah.."

"I'm listening.."

"Get yourself a girlfriend," Hoagie could practically hear the smile in her voice, "You're all whiny lately. You need somebody who knows how to shut you up."


	4. Late Night Meeting

-1Grumbling under his breath, Hoagie stopped at a tree in front of Fanny's house. He glanced at it, carefully analyzing it for the best way to get up. _She couldn't pick Wally to do this…no, has to make me look like the pervert. _Hoagie was in the best physical shape of his life, but he was still neither slender or athletic. He pulled a pen from his pocket, and pressed a small button on the side. It grew into something that resembled a gun, with a grappling hook seeming to come out of nowhere. He pulled the trigger, and the hook caught on one of the upper branches of the tree. The rope tensed for a moment, then started to pull him upwards.

He reached the branch and grabbed onto it, using all of his strength to pull himself up. He awkwardly worked to position himself so that he was near the window. _Is this even her room?_, he thought, glancing in. He could see a dark figure tossing and turning in bed, but that could just has easily been one of her brothers. He reasoned that if it was her father's room, there would be two figures instead of one, with her mother there as well. If it _was_ one of the brother's rooms, there would be no harm done. They were both members of the Kids Next Door, and both were enraged at their sister for her imitation of Benedict Arnold.

Taking a deep breath so that he could muster together all of his courage, Hoagie opened the window and flung himself in. He landed on the window sill, part of his body in the room while his legs dangled outside, but he grabbed onto a nearby table to steady himself and pulled himself in. _All right…mind tap..mind tap…_ he crawled over next to the bed, a small beam of light from the moon lighting up the pale face of the young Irish girl. He was in the correct room.

The next thing he pulled from his pocket was a long tube that connected to a computer base that he pulled out of his backpack. He connected the tube to the computer. The tube was made to connect directly with someone's brain. He had heard it was painless, but it wasn't something he'd ever willingly undergo himself. Hoagie glanced over to the dresser and suddenly started blushing. He knew that they were BRAs, not regular bras, but his teenaged mind immediately made the connection. He forced himself to pay attention to the computer screen, and frowned. The monitor proclaimed ten minutes until it would be warmed up enough to use. _Oh, c'mon! I wanna get outta here!_ he thought miserably.

Gaining a little more daring, he stood up and walked to the dresser, leaving the computer to warm itself up. He picked up one of the BRAs and frowned, thinking back to the first time he'd ever seen one. "I don't think it's yer color." The voice made him jump and whirl around.

Sure enough, Fanny Fulbright was standing there in her night gown. She flipped on the light switch and crossed her arms. "What are you doin' here, you lousy pervert?!" she demanded. _Told Rachel they'd think I was a perv, _Hoagie thought, making a mental note to get back at his commander later.

"Just uh…." Hoagie was a mechanical genius. When it came to girls, however, he was the same as any boy. His I.Q would drop by ten points for each second he spent around one. Twenty if he actually had to talk.

"Besides, if you're tryin' tah figure out a defense flaw in the BRAs, you should wait until next month. Father's working on a new design." She sat down where she was, and motioned for him to do the same. He stared at her for a moment, then obliged her.

"And how do I know this is good information?" Hoagie demanded. "You don't exactly have a good track record."

"You sneak into a girl's bedroom at night, sortin' through her bras, and you've got the nerve to tell me I make mistakes?"

Hoagie deflated. There wasn't really much he could say to that, not without revealing his plan, anyways. She hadn't seemed to have noticed the computer beside her bed. She reached over to her dresser and pulled the bottom drawer open, throwing him a box. "It's just a prototype of the newer model, but it's the best I can give ya."

She seemed very cold and emotionless right now. All the more strange, in Hoagie's opinion, was the sudden urge he had to hold her. To tell her that it was all right, that he understood that she wanted to do something good. To right all the mistakes she'd made in the past year.

"And what's this for?" Hoagie said, masking his thoughts with the edge of suspicion he now used.

"Consider it a birthday present," Fanny said, stretching her legs out and planting her hands behind her. Her body language clearly told Hoagie that she did not want him to leave just yet. She wanted to talk to him, but was too scared to say it. He decided that she had earned it with her gift, and smiled at her.

"Thanks," He said, not even thinking about not trusting her. She had been through so much, and Hoagie was too nice a guy to put her through interrogation now. "So..how have you been?" He realized after he asked that it was a rather stupid question. But it was the only thing he could think of.

"Fine…" she said stiffly, tensing up as her mind went back to the convention center. Should she warn Hoagie? _Great, then I'd be a double traitor…besides, would he even believe me? Wouldn't be able to blame him if he didn't. _She pulled her legs close to her, her arms resting on her knees while her head rested on her arms. She felt her eyes burning, tears she fought back so often threatening to emerge. She gulped as she forced them down, managing, just barely, to keep her eyes dry.

But Hoagie had seen it. In that very moment, he was transported to the time before her betrayal, to the day he first saw that she had human weakness, just like everybody else. He felt his heart plummet into his stomach, and bit his lip as a not unpleasant dizzy sensation filled him. He was once again looking at Fanny in a more than friends way. It was all the stranger in that they had never been friends.

_But she needs one, _Hoagie told himself, trying to keep Fanny from seeing the pitying look he had. He pushed his goggles up into his hair, studying her. "Hey, Fanny? Wanna do something sometime?" She sat up, studying him. Her eyes were narrowed in suspicion, and Hoagie got an idea. "Just as a favor to me. I don't have many friends…most of them all have girlfriends or someone else, and I'm sick of being the third wheel -"

"I'm not datin' ya," Fanny said warningly. Hoagie gave a fake chuckle.

"Sorry, not what I meant. I meant it'd be nice to hang around somebody who isn't too busy telling somebody how cute they are and arguing over who loves each other more."

Fanny made a face. "That sounds disgustin'."

"It is," Hoagie agreed, thinking back to the last time he'd gone to the movies with Nigel and Lizzie. He gave a little shudder. "The only one who doesn't do that is Abby, and that's because whoever the guy she's with is, he apparently doesn't live in America."

"All right, but this is outta pity," Fanny said warningly.

"Of course. Strictly platonic," Hoagie said, getting up and gathering his stuff. He purposely moved so that his body was blocking her view of the mind tap. He had no idea what she'd do to him if she saw that, but he doubted it would be anything good. Then again, he had expected to be beaten to a bloody pulp if she caught him in her room. But there they were, making plans to get together sometime.

"Won't Ra---…won't the others be mad at yah for this?"

"Don't care," Hoagie said simply. "To be honest, it's none of their damn business." He tucked the BRA prototype into his bag and threw it over his shoulder. "I'll meet you after school on Monday, in the library. We'll figure out where to go from there."

"But why don't you care?" Fanny asked, glancing down at her carpet. She wasn't sure what the answer was that she wanted, but she expected it to be something obvious. But she didn't want it to be.

"I'll hang out with who I want to hang out with," Hoagie said firmly, "And I think you'd be a good friend --"

"I betrayed you."

"We weren't friends then," Hoagie said with a smirk, sticking one leg out of the window. He glanced back at her. "Maybe I'm just hopeful that if we do become friends, you won't have reason to betray us again. Or maybe…well, I just wanna get to know you." With that, he exited the room, heading off into what little remained of the night.

Fanny glanced at her clock - It was five in the morning. They had been talking for an hour, yet it had all seemed to flow by in a minute. It hadn't been enough.

She crawled back into bed, and smiled in spite of herself. This didn't make up for what she had done, but at least one person existed who didn't hate her for it. It was a step in the right direction. A very small step, but a step nonetheless. She grabbed her rainbow monkey and held it close, thinking. _Maybe Hoagie Gilligan isn't as bad as I thought he was…at least he didn't make any lame jokes tonight. _


	5. A Night Together

**Author's Note: **Yes, I have, in fact, read Hindsight. To those of you who have not - if you like this story, it probably means you like 2/86, so I can assure you you will enjoy Hindsight. Go read. Maybe not right now, per se (try after you finish this chapter, please), but do read it. There. Shameless plug, but it at least it's not for something I wrote. Also, this chapter is more fluffy than I would like it to be.

Hoagie glanced around to make sure no one was there, then ducked quickly into the library. Fanny was sitting at a table, pretending to read. Hoagie knew she was pretending because the book was upside down. He had told her he didn't give a damn if the others found out about this, but he had lied.

He was terrified they would find out. All he had to do was avoid the places they would hang out, though. The only one who actually did any routine spying anymore was Abby, and she was not a threat because she still hadn't returned from her candy hunting. Her grades were so good that it didn't matter if she ditched a few days, but Hoagie found himself wondering why she always took about six days for these candy expeditions and why she never actually returned with more than a piece or two of the supposedly huge haul she had scored.

But these were thoughts for another day. Fanny had just noticed him, and she waved him over. "Ready to go, toots?" He asked, smirking as he waited for her reaction. He was not waiting long.

"Do not think that I've even forgiven yah for the first time yah called me that," She said through clenched teeth, "Don't give me a reason tah kick yer ass." She got up and pushed her chair under the table.

"All right, all right," Hoagie said with an easy grin, "Ix-nay on the Oots-tay. Got it. Where do you want to go?" he wasn't sure why he asked. He planned to maneuver her away from any spot the other Teens Next Door or Kids Next Door might be in, but it was only polite to ask her where she'd want to go.

_Can't go anywhere the TND or KND might be, _She thought, her thoughts mirroring Hoagie's exactly. _That would only get him into trouble…I am kind of hungry, thought. And that new horror movie's out.._ "Well, what about movie and dinner?"

"Now you're starting to make it sound like a date," Hoagie said flirtatiously, planting his hands on the table and leaning in closer to her. She leaned away, glaring at him.

"It was just a suggestion," Fanny said defensively, "Not an excuse for you to start trying to look through my bras again."

"Hey, I was looking at the battle ready armor ones, not the real ones!" Hoagie said, glancing away. This discussion was making it a tad harder for him to make eye contact, the odd temptation to look at her chest making him utterly embarrassed. "But what movie where you thinking?"

"I dunno…" Fanny faked it, wondering if Hoagie even liked horror movies. _Well, tough to him if he doesn't, _She decided. _He invited me out, not the other way around. _"There's some movie out called The Rookwood Murders. Supposed tah be pretty scary…"

"I wanted to see that," Hoagie said, smiling. _Wow, really glad she didn't say a chick flick. The last thing I need is Fanny Fulbright finding out I cry at those. _"Did you just want to eat at the theatre?"

"Sure, sounds good." She said, heading for the door. Hoagie followed after. "Are we taking the bus or walking?"

"Walking," Hoagie said immediately, glad that Fanny wasn't looking at him. He grabbed the handle to the school exit and held the door open for her. They couldn't risk the bus. Kuki, Nigel, and Wally all used it when Hoagie wasn't around to pilot them. And he couldn't take a ship without permission anymore, since the TND was supposed to be kept a secret from the adults.

But if she found it suspicious, Fanny gave no signs of it.

* * *

The pair settled into their seats in the theatre, both noting how empty it was today. It wasn't that big of surprise, though. It was a school day, after all. Hoagie swung the arm rest between them up so that he could set the tub of popcorn between them. Fanny grabbed a handful and started snacking.

"Hey…Fanny?"

"What?"

"Why'd you do it?"

Fanny groaned. She did not want to talk about why she'd betrayed the Kids Next Door right now. She just wanted to pretend that part of her life didn't exist. "Hoagie, just leave it alone. I know it was a stupid mistake --"

"I really hope you're thinking the wrong thing." He said, almost looking sad. "I was just wondering why you agreed to come with me."

Fanny tensed, her popcorn falling from her hand to the dirty floor of the theatre. She turned to Hoagie, staring at him as though she had never quite seen something like him. "I…I ..It just seemed like a good idea. Like it might actually be.." she searched for the correct word.

"Fun?" Hoagie suggested. Fanny smiled.

"Yeah…fun."

The advertisements stopped, and the movie started rolling. Within a few minutes, the blood was already all over the place, the kills getting more frequent and more discussing with each passing increment of ten minutes time. Hoagie and Fanny both jumped several times, both of them denying it while trying to tease the other about being scared.

The movie ended, but they both remained in their seats. Neither knew how to vocalize it, but both wanted to spend a bit more time with each other.

But Fanny had never been the type not to go for what she wanted before. "Daddy's out of town for a meeting, and mom's on a spa weekend, so…would you like to come over to my house?"

Hoagie's jaw dropped. He was frozen, unable to blink as he stared at her. For a moment, he'd thought he was having a theatre-grade popcorn hallucination. But he quickly got over it. "Uh..s-s-sure.." he stammered out.

Fanny smiled. "Great. Then let's go."

* * *

"Wait, Fanny..what about your brothers?" Hoagie asked, blushing madly already. Nothing had happened, and more likely, nothing would happen, but his hormones didn't seem to realize that as well as his mind did.

"Both at a sleepover for Kids Next Door members," Fanny said with a shrug, locking the door behind them and taking Hoagie by the hand. She lead him up to her bedroom. "Sorry, I just didn't know where else tah go…" She apologized, not meeting his eyes directly. "Plus I had to warn yeh."

"About what?" He was no longer blushing. Her serious tone made him snap out of his fantasies.

"Father isolated what made Grandfather able to change people into Senior Citizombies. He's sending two teens up to the moon base to hack the code module and turn you all into them."

"But we made it so that the code module couldn't be hacked into!" Hoagie cried, "Right after Father turned us all into animals..remember?"

"Yeah…yer exactly right. _I _remember. Which means I was able to tell them how to hack into it." Fanny looked at the floor. "I know yah hate me now…just like the others, but at least you got a warning."

"I don't hate you, Fanny," Hoagie said slowly, "I wish you hadn't done it, but you're starting to make amends. I looked over the BRA you gave me - wow, that sounds wrong…anyways, I looked it over and was able to find some chinks in it. I forgave you when I found that out."

Not knowing why she did it, Fanny suddenly leaned over and hugged Hoagie, almost tackling him onto her bed. "Sorry…not sure where tha' came from.." she said, trying to pull herself up. But Hoagie wasn't letting go. "Let go o' me, you dolt!"

"No," Hoagie said softly. "I just want to hold you a moment." Fanny went rigid for a moment, blushing, but she allowed herself to give in. No one could make fun of her for it. That was the only upside to not having any friends. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling safe all of the sudden.

It was a feeling she had not had in a very long time.

His arms were encircling her waist, pulling her very close. Despite the fact they were in bed together, neither thought of the implications. They were in their own little world, where nothing aside from the two of them existed. Fanny dozed off a moment later, using Hoagie's stomach as her pillow.

He watched her sleep, planting a kiss on her forehead before letting sleep over take him as well.


	6. Hooky

-1**Author's Note: **You've no idea of how hard it was not to write a sex scene in the last chapter. Oh, the temptation. But this is a T-rated fanfic, so I couldn't do it anyways. Oh well. When I get around to torturing Wally and Kuki (because I just can't play nice with these characters. My 'fics suck when I play nice) it will be an M rated fic. Oh, the shippers will kill me. And here I drop more hints about my second favorite coupling. Read on, but be warned….I'm starting to apparently grow soft. Too much sweetness…I'll have to fix that.

A single ray of light was enough to rouse Hoagie from his sleep. He stretched his arms out, and tried to get up, but noticed an unfamiliar weight on his stomach. Fanny was resting her head there. He smiled, and gently shook her awake.

"Huh?" She said groggily, glancing at her alarm clock. "Shit! I forgot tah set the alarm."

Hoagie followed her gaze and matched her curse. "We just missed our first two periods," he said, wondering what his mother could be thinking right now. He had not gone home last night, and now he was waking up with a girl in his arms. At least they were both clothed, though Hoagie found himself thinking about the alternative. "Well, we should probably get our asses back to school…"

"No."

"What?" They were both sitting up now, and Hoagie stared at Fanny incredulously. "We can't just ditch out on school, Fanny. We'll get busted for truancy." Fanny stared back at him, her eyebrows raised.

"What, don't tell me yer afraid a' getting busted. Let's just spend the day together. One day off won't kill us."

"Oh, all right," Hoagie caved, "But we can't exactly leave the house. I mean, there are plenty of adults who'd bust us for it, right?"

Fanny rolled her eyes. "Yer such an idiot sometimes. I'm still with the adults. They don't care where tha teens on their side go. They don't turn us in. And fer the most part, they don't care where teens go. It's mainly kids they wanna keep in school."

"Oh."

"Your teammates will never notice. They'll jus' think ya got sick," Fanny pushed. Hoagie smiled.

"All right, all right. What they don't know won't hurt me."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

By the time lunch rolled around, Rachel was starting to get suspicious. Something just didn't feel right. Hoagie was supposed to give her the reports of the mind tap today. _And however did he manage to get ahold of the new prototype for the BRAs? _She tapped her spoon against her plate as she thought.

"What's on your mind, Rachel?" Abby asked as she took her seat across from her. She opened her lunch box up and popped a few of the caramels into her mouth, as she always did.

"Nothing," Rachel answered, annoyed at her own paranoia. "How the heck can you stand that much sugar?" She asked, quickly shifting gears. "Caramel is way too sweet, and you eat it everyday."

"It reminds Numbuh 5 of someone," Abby said distantly. "But that's not the point. I'm guessing you noticed who else was absent today?"

"What?" Rachel frowned. Hoagie was the only absence she had noticed. She glanced around. _Kuki, Wally, and Virginia are at that table..Bartie and Patton are still getting their lunch…Abby's with me, and Nigel's with Lizzie. So that's everybody…_

"Not a TND agent," Abby said, reading Rachel's mind. "Well..she shoulda been. Too bad about that, but what can you do?" She shrugged, then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Numbuh 5 guesses it's probably nothing, but it's kinda funny that Hoagie _and _Fanny didn't show up today. But they couldn't be together…"

"Together in which sense?" Rachel asked slowly.

"Either one," Abby said, glancing around. "It could be just a coincidence, but Numbuh 5 couldn't help but notice it…" Rachel went against her instincts and decided not to tell Abby that Hoagie was supposed to be spying on Fanny. _Maybe she's on to him…I'll send Patton, Wally, and Nigel on a search mission directly after school, _Rachel decided. _It's probably nothing, but it's best to check into this. Make sure he's not in way over his head…_

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"I'm in way over my head!"

"Oh, stop yer whining," Fanny replied, pulling him along after her. They had wound up at Funworld, an amusement park that boasted The Widowmaker, the most vomit inducing roller coaster presently known to man. "Yeh can't exactly tell me yer afraid of heights. Yeh drive a space ship fer goodness sakes!"

"I'm not afraid of heights," Hoagie said defensively, "I just don't feel like throwing up today!"

"Well yer going on it, so c'mon!" He had complained his way through the line (though it was relatively short, as most people were in school right now) and she pushed him into the front car, taking her seat beside him.

One of the employees pressed a button and their seat belts came down on them, strapping them in, but not securely enough for Hoagie's taste. He liked roller coasters, but this one had actually managed to scare Wally, and ever since witnessing that, Hoagie had been too afraid to go on it himself. The ride started, launching them through upside down loops, going down steep hills, racing them along upside down, Hoagie trying his hardest not to look at the ground. It reached where they started and then launched them backwards through each part again.

By the time it was through, Hoagie's legs felt like jelly. He and Fanny were both very wobbly. She grabbed onto him for support, and both collapsed into a heap. "Fanny, would you please stop spinning?" Hoagie asked as he waited for the world to stop whirling.

"Not until you stop.."

"Try closing your eyes," He suggested. She gave him a suspicious look. He held up his hands as though in surrender. "Just trust me. Please?" She frowned, but gave into his request. That's when he went for it. He pressed his lips to hers. She seemed surprised, but she didn't pull away.

If he had done that to stop the dizziness they both felt, he had failed. Because now both of them felt breathless, the world whirling on by faster than it had on the roller coaster. They stood still.

They pulled away, and Fanny looked about to say something. Whatever it was, though, she seemed unable to vocalize it. Hoagie shrugged. "Sorry..I..uh..I guess I'll get going. School ended an hour ago, anyways. And I'm supposed to meet up with the Teens Next Door tonight." 

"Yeah..I've got a meeting with the teens tonight," Fanny said sadly, not daring to make eye contact. Both out of what had just occurred and her guilt for working as his enemy.

As bad as they both felt with that knowledge, it was about to get even worse.

"NUMBUH 2!" The title was boomed out with a heavy accent, making the voice's owner unmistakable. Nigel Uno. Fanny ran, unable to face the new threat, what she thought was about to happen.

"Heh…Hi, Numbuh 1," Hoagie said in a fake cheery voice as he turned to see Wally, Patton and Nigel. "Funny running into you guys here.."

"Yeh do remember the tracker we all have on us, right, mate?" Wally asked, giving Hoagie a funny look. Hoagie looked guilty. He _had_ forgotten about it. All the stupider since he himself had designed them.

"Not to mention the fact we planted one on Fanny Fulbright months ago," Patton added fiercely, his hands clenched into fists. "Are you really that dumb? What are you doing, fraternizing with the enemy? Does she have any TND secrets?!"

"Calm down, Numbuh 60," Nigel said, before turning his attention back to Hoagie. "Hoagie…please tell me this was just a routine spy mission. That you were only hanging out with her to get her trust --"

"Trust?!" Wally asked, rolling his eyes, "We caught the make out session! That's not gaining trust, mate, that's just….disgusting.."

"I must admit, it doesn't look good," Nigel said, taking off his sunglasses and cleaning them before replacing them.

"I have some information on the moves of Father," Hoagie said through clenched teeth. He had not done a mind tap for that information, and that had been Rachel's strict order. Yes, Fanny had told him everything he needed to know, but when it came from the mouth of a traitor, Hoagie was smart enough to realize that only he would believe it.

"Oh," Wally said, sighing in relief, "That's good to hear. You _were _just spying on her…."

A figure in the shadows pushed the off button on their tape recorder, smiling to themselves. _Oh, Fanny…stupid move of you to try to betray us, but at least with this, we can get you back on our side, _the figure thought to themselves, popping out the tape and pocketing it. _In the end, it'll be you that turns Hoagie Gilligan into a senior Citizombie. I'll personally make sure of that. _


	7. Choosing Sides

**Author's Note: **I'll be switching back and forth with updates on this and Choktoberfest, but tonight I'll update them both. Thanks greatly to Teh-Drabbler, who seems to be my biggest fan. Thanks for all the replies.

Fanny watched from behind the carousel as Hoagie was practically dragged off by his team mates. She sighed, looking down to the ground, when a sudden poke on the shoulder made her jump. She whirled around, expecting the worst, to find Cree standing there, a suspiciously friendly smile on her face.

"Oh…yea' scared me.." Fanny admitted, shaking herself out of it. There were bigger things to deal with now. _Did Cree see me with Hoagie? _she found herself wondering, frowning. Her plan was to stay with the teens and Father so that she could help Hoagie and the Teens and Kids Next Door defeat them. She had to play her part. "What's the news?"

"Oh, no news.." Cree said, her voice positively dripping with sugar. _Beware the smiling crocodile, _Fanny recalled the phrase for a moment, but put it out of her mind. Cree pulled a tape recorder out of one pocket, and a tape from the other. "Listen, I know about Hoagie -"

"I..It's not what ya think, I'm jest--"

"It's all right," Cree said soothingly, popping the tape into the player and fast forwarding it a bit.

"_Oh," _came Wally's voice, "_So you **were** just spying on her!"_

Fanny felt her mouth drop open as she stared at the tape. She held out her hand wordlessly, motioning for the recorder. Cree smiled as she handed it to her. Fanny dropped it down and crushed it underfoot, stomping it for good measure. "I can't believe I…I trusted that jerk!"

Cree wrapped an arm around Fanny's shoulder. "I'm sooo sorry," Cree said, feigning sympathy. "But you know what the best thing for it is, right?" Fanny shook her head. "Revenge. Help us, like you originally planned. Play with Hoagie a little while longer, and keep feeding him secrets…but make them fake ones."

_Here I go, playing traitor again.._Fanny thought sadly. And then, _No..not this time. I didn't betray anybody this time. Hoagie lied to me. **He** betrayed **me. **And so help me, I'll get back at him for this. _

* * *

Hoagie sneezed suddenly, and shrugged as the others stared at him. "Heh..maybe someone was talking about me?" He joked.

"This is no time for that sort of thing," Rachel said, slamming her hands down on the desk in front of her. "You gave me the status reports for what you found during the mind tap, now where is the record of the mind tap?"

Hoagie ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of a viable excuse. None came. Sighing, he kicked his legs out, hitting them against Rachel's desk repeatedly. "I…didn't do the mind tap."

"You WHAT?!" Rachel, Nigel, and Patton's voices all blended together, creating a shriek Hoagie had never quite heard before. It was even worse than when just one of them yelling at him. Patton was glaring. Nigel looked like he was trying to understand. Rachel looked just plain fed up. These were his superior officers, and as such, they were entitled to whatever information Hoagie could give them. At least, according to the rule book they were.

"Hoagie," Rachel said, her voice just barely above a whisper, "If you did not perform a mind tap, where did the information on Father's new plan come from?" She drummed her fingernails against her desk as she waited for a response. Hoagie laughed nervously again. Her gaze intensified, until he felt like he was shrinking under it.

"She told me."

"Err..Hoagie," Nigel said slowly, removing his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt, "I don't know if you noticed, but it's usually not..uh..wise..to.." He gave up on decorum, "WHO TRUSTS THE ENEMY TO GIVE HIM INFORMATION?! ESPECIALLY A DOUBLE CROSSER?!"

"Nigel, that's enough!" Rachel yelled. Nigel shrugged and zipped it. "Now…" Rachel said, turning her focus back to Hoagie. "SHE BETRAYED US! ARE YOU CRAZY? ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"

"She's changed.."

"You're darn right she's changed," Patton chipped in, "She went from being a mean bitch on the side of good to a mean bitch on the side of bad!"

Hoagie was on his feet in a moment. The next thing Rachel or Nigel knew, Patton's nose was bleeding and Hoagie was storming off, muttering under his breath. Rachel kneeled beside Patton, trying to help him stop the bleeding, while Nigel stared after his best friend.

"I've never seen him get that mad before," He commented softly, turning back to Rachel and Patton. "I'm sorry, sirs, but Hoagie's not an idiot….maybe she really has changed…"


	8. Her Decision

**Author's Note:** All right, I can't sleep. And somehow Choktober fest managed to get ahead of this, so….ve update! (…oh, darn it, I think I'm in Heinrich mode right now…hopefully I don't get his accent screwed up with Fanny's. Please hurt me if I do.). Another case of fearing that I went OOC with this one..I really hope I didn't, but…ugh, just tell me if I did.

_All right…calm down. It WAS Wally's voice on the tape, not Hoagie's_, Fanny had actually managed to rationalize the situation. For a moment. _No…that short dolt is friends with Hoagie…he'd know the motives, too…_Fanny glanced at the mirror above her bed, looking at herself in her Teen Ninja uniform.

At that moment, she made her choice. She knew what she had to do.

* * *

"Stupid Patton…" Hoagie muttered, walking down the street with his hands in his pockets, kicking a pinecone a little ways ahead. It calmed him down a little, but not enough. He was still in a fine rage. "He doesn't know her…she's changed. She HAS," Hoagie said insistently, talking to some imagined companion. He felt guilty for punching Patton, even though he still believed the boy had brought it upon himself.

He hadn't paid attention to where he was going. His feet had somehow known to take him to Fanny's house, though. He went up to the door and knocked, staring down at the concrete. Unfortunately for him, Mr. Boss answered the door.

His eyes immediately narrowed, and he used the hand that was holding his cigar to point at Hoagie. "YOU! What are YOU doing here?" He demanded, crossing his arms.

"DADDY!" Fanny's voice came out in a shriek. "Leave him alone..I need tah talk tah him about something."

"Aww…but Fannypants…" Mr. Boss's voice was just a notch away from being whiny, but he seemed to stop when he noticed Fanny's outfit. "Aww…you do your old man proud, carrying on the family traditions like that. I'll leave you two alone…" With that, he walked off.

But what had gotten her father to leave them alone was making Hoagie nervous. The sleek steel combined with the purple body suit had become a sign of danger for him, and seeing Fanny in it was making him feel very scared. "Fanny…I'm sorry they found us today. I completely forgot about the trackers…"

"Who placed it on me?" She asked quietly. Hoagie said nothing. "Who placed it on me?!" She demanded, her voice louder now. Hoagie looked away. "…You did it. When?"

"That night I was in your bedroom…" Hoagie paused for a moment, "Do you want me to leave?"

"No…no, I don't want yah tah leave…" she grabbed his hand and pulled him upstairs, into her bedroom. Hoagie was unsure of what was going on. She shut the door behind them, adjusting a small bust of someone he did not recognize, so that it was facing them. He didn't question her movements. "The weakness to Grandfather's powers is …it requires tapioca." She sighed, and kicked her dresser.

_She's acting funny_, Hoagie noted. He glanced around her room as he tried to figure out what was going on with Fanny. "Fanny, are you feeling all right? And…why are you dressed like that?"

"I have a meetin' tonight…" she said softly, slipping down to the floor. "Hoagie, what's goin' tah happen?"

"With what? The Teens Next Door? You don't _have_ to stay with the bad side. Not since you gave us the information about the weakness of the power that you guys got through Grandfather --"

"Hoagie, yer such an idiot sometimes…" she said softly, resting her head on her knees, looking away from him. Hoagie should have been used to the insult from her by now…but it hurt now. The way she said it without anger. Just with some sort of disappointment.

_What's she playing at? _Hoagie asked himself. "Fanny, are you really going to act this way? …You're going to fight on the side of evil, instead of good?"

Fanny looked towards her dresser. "Yea…Yea I am," she said firmly, "Get yer ass out of my house…" Her voice was a rattlesnake's warning. Hoagie backed away for a moment, before gaining back his daring.

"God, Fanny…why the hell do I keep sticking up for you if you're just going to do that? I thought you might like me enough to stop being so selfish….but hell, what more can I expect from some spoiled little daddy's girl who never had to deal with a real problem in her life? Guess what - Daddy's money's not going to help you get a friend. Because you just lost the only one you had," He said, walking out of the room.

"Mission complete," she said flatly, looking at the bust of Shakespeare on her dresser. She had been trying to warn him. She had figured that maybe…maybe she could help the Kids and Teens Next Door by making it obvious she was feeding them false information…get Hoagie to realize the truth so that he would know that she was on their side.

_I wanted to go back on their side…_She had decided not to believe Cree. But now, she really _did_ want to crush Hoagie. She had made it as obvious as she could….she would not admit to herself that she was being rather vague. _He's supposed tah be a genius…couldn't even figure this out…_

She sighed, going to the window to watch Hoagie walk away. _Tonight, Hoagie…we're attacking tonight. _For a brief moment, she entertained the thought of trying to save him, but the memory of him calling her spoiled came back and slapped her. _No..his mind is made up about me. I'd hate to prove him wrong…_


	9. Point of No Return

-1**Author's Note: **Poor story's practically being ignored. It's all right, dear, I'm here. Mommy won't let them get you…..hmm..perhaps I should admit myself to the white coats after all. I'm afraid I may have let my bitterness get into this chapter. My apologies if it doesn't work. Merely reply stating so and I will rewrite it. …I've got to stop listening to the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack…

"My fellow adults," Father's voice boomed out of the microphone, amplified ten times over. Fanny winced. "And teens, of course," He smirked at Cree, Fanny, and Chad. They were the only teens invited to this, after all. The only ones deemed 'worth', according to both Cree and Father. "This is a glorious day! Today is the day, that finally, once and for all….we crush those Kids Next Door brats!"

A roar went up among the crowd. Fanny's head was pounding. She closed her eyes against a tear that threatened to well up. No. No, she wasn't going to cry over this. Why should she? She had tried to redeem herself. They had refused her that chance. And now, here she stood, on a stage with those who had once been her greatest enemies, wishing the downfall of those who had once been the closest things she had to friends. The thought of Hoagie immediately entered her mind, causing a mixture of malice and sadness to blend into her being. She sighed.

No going back now.

Father took out the jar filled with the green, glowing light source. When he opened it, the force immediately flowed out, hovering in mid air for a moment. It seemed almost to be…searching, Fanny realized. She gulped. She did not like this one bit. Apparently, her moment of nervousness attracted the energy. It split into three groups, the largest one going onto her hands, causing them to glow with the same green light.

"And now," Father proclaimed, "A test!"

"Who are we using for a test?" The Toilenator shouted back. "We don't have any prisoners because Numbuh 1 got them out last week--"

"Which was your fault," Mr. Boss said curtly, he and Big Brother each grabbing one of Toilenator's arms as they dragged him up onto the stage. "Which is exactly why _you_ are the test subject!"

They flung the Toilenator into Fanny's arms. She caught him awkwardly, and immediately there was a flash of red light. The Toilenator was, once more, a Senior Citizombie. Fanny pushed him away from her, staring down at her hands.

…_Here we go. A repeat of last time. Except this time, I won't be leaven any fragments…_ Fanny thought to herself, putting her hands behind her back and waiting for Cree to give the order.

"All right.." Cree practically purred, "Fanny, Chad, we're going for a direct attack on the Moon Base."

* * *

"All right, everyone," Nigel Uno marched along the pathway as he spoke to Sector V, "Thanks to Hoagie, we know they're attacking tonight. Good job following Fanny to that convention center, by the way," Nigel paused. Hoagie said nothing. He just studied the ground. "As you know, this is the first time any TND operative has been allowed here, and all the more momentous because we have ALL the TND members here. But it's necessary. So….how do we stop their power?"

Everyone was silent. "The birthday suits aren't recalibrated," Hoagie said softly. "Sorry, but we honestly thought that with Grandfather gone, nobody would have that power. We didn't expect them to go through genetic research."

Nigel nodded. "It's all right. No use crying over spilled soda. What we need now is a plan. They don't run on tapioca like Grandfather did…they're normal teens, like us…so, what we need is…." Nigel stopped short.

They all knew what that meant.

For once, Nigel Uno did not have a plan. Nor did any other member of Sector V. And the countdown on the wall had started a while ago. They had an hour before Cree, Fanny, and Chad arrived on the Moonbase with their new found power.

"Does anybody have a plan?" Nigel asked softly.

"Fortification," Hoagie answered, "It wouldn't take me that long to put up an extra shield around the Moon base. It won't keep them out forever, but it should buy us an extra hour before they manage to wiggle their way in. Maybe by then, we'll have a plan."

"How many people do you need?"

"I can do it myself," Hoagie said simply, "I don't need a body guard. You guys stay in here.."

"But Numbuh 2," Nigel started to plead with his best friend to at least take one look out with him, but Hoagie wasn't having any of it.

"No, Nigel. I'm doing this alone."


	10. Perfect Enemy

**Author's Note: **This chapter really is sort of inspired by the feel of two songs by T.A.T.U. - Perfect Enemy and Friend Or Foe? (I've got to stop listening to them…another song of theirs is actually how I determined how this story would end, and it gave me an idea for a chapter of Malchik Gay…Hell, they're the whole reason I got the ideas for Malchik Gay and She Loves Me Not) The following quote is from the former.

_The things I loved before are now for sale. Keep yourself away, far away from me. I forever stay your perfect enemy. _

Hoagie pulled on a space suit, setting the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. to auto-pilot. It was set to maintain its current location. He secured a line a tether line to the hook inside the ship before putting on his helmet. With everything set, he jumped from the bus, landing on the force field surrounded the Kids Next Door Moon base. It was a fairly new device…it had been created shortly after Fanny's first attack. By now, the adults and teens probably all knew how to hack into it. It had been hacked a mere month ago…and the Kids Next Door scientists these days…Hoagie sighed. They were still wasting too much time on a cootie vaccination to actually be bothered with important matters.

He pulled out his lunch-box like computer and plugged it directly into the force field. From here, he could maximize it and change the coding. Perhaps enough to buy them more than just the singular hour. He fiddled around a bit, biting his lip as he typed. He was going as fast as he could, but he had no idea how much longer before Fanny and the others would arrive. "Let's see…almost there….Got it!" He cried. The previously invisible force field was starting to become visible. It flickered for a moment, not there anymore, and Hoagie felt himself bob on the tether line. He used the jets on the back of his space suit to propel him away, watching as the force field turned into visible blue zeros. They started from where he'd left the computer, slowly growing. He started to head back to the ship, knowing he was running out of time - if the zeros encompassed the Moon Base before he got back in, he'd be locked out until someone, specifically the Global Kids Next Door Supreme Leader, used the password that would allow him to deactivate the force field. The password could only be entered inside, and only while a Kids Next Door Operative on the outside had a computer with them to enter the other code.

But Hoagie hadn't taken a radio with him, so it was get back inside now, or go head home.

Except that when he turned to go back, Fanny was floating there. She had on Battle Ready Armor and a clear, almost bowl-like, helmet. And she was holding Hoagie's tether.

He stared at her, horrified. She looked for a moment like she was going to cut through it - she already had a laser from her wrist going. Instead, she sighed and turned it off. "Ye owe me one." She said simply, flying under the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. and disappearing from sight. Hoagie was thrown off for a moment. _Is she..helping me?_

He realized immediately that that was not right, though. She was heading towards the Moon Base, her hands glowing red. She touched the force field. It turned into a moat.

Hoagie reeled himself in, getting back into the ship as fast as he could. He had to stop this…they were going to get in. _Damn you, Fanny_, he thought bitterly as he finally made it back on board the ship. He quickly untied himself and got behind the wheel. "I trusted you….they were right." He sighed, "So I'll be the one that stops you," He said determinedly, trying to form a new plan. _Fanny knows about the back entrance of the Moon base, but they changed the passwords to everything…But Cree's good at hacking, so that's not going to stop them for long. By now, they've probably gotten ahold of at least ten operatives. That will multiply…_ He sighed. There was no time. He could not create anything, especially not when he didn't have any materials. The Birthday Suits could not be recalibrated this quickly. Even if they could, they were locked away.

"This is suicide," He said, thumping his head down against the wheel. But his sense of right would not allow him to abandon his friends. "..Oh well. Wouldn't be the first time a Kids Next Door Operative did a suicide mission. At the very least though," he vowed to himself, "I'm going to take _her_ down. I'm not going to let Fanny get away with this…"


	11. Friend Or Foe?

_We used to love one another, give to each other, lie under covers…so are you friend or foe? **Friend or Foe by T.A.T.U.**_

Fanny was inside the Moon Base now. She took a deep breath. Nothing had changed…it was like three years ago, when she'd come up here daily to do paper work and get her orders for who was to be decommissioned that day. Except this time…this was the second time she'd come as the threat that the Moon Base needed protection against.

"Freeze!" Someone called near her. It was a small girl. Despite her big words, she was trembling. She had a mustard gun, and nothing else. Fanny walked right up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. The girl immediately transformed.

"Go get some of yer other friends," Fanny ordered the new Senior Citizombie, "Don't stop until everyone here is a Zombie, all right?" The Citizombie nodded, limping off to find others to turn. "Cree, Chad, where are yeh?" Fanny demanded into her wrist-watch communicator.

"I'm over in the Scientists' Sector.." Cree responded over the radio. "About twenty dorks Zombified. How about you?"

"Only one so far….Can't seem teh find the others.." Fanny added.

"We're right here!" Fanny looked up to see Patton, Nigel, Rachel, Wally, Kuki, and Abby all standing on the whiz bee deck. It was Nigel who had spoken. He continued now, "All right, traitor…bringing you in for decommissioning immediately!" There was a thick irony in his battle cry - Fanny had used similar several times in her period as Head of Decommissioning.

"Come and get me," Fanny hissed, going into a battle stance. The group jumped as one, and Fanny realized their plan - They were going to try to gang up on her. Her legs were siezed, then her arms pinned back. She rolled her eyes. "Yeh seem to have forgotten it's not only my hands that can zombify yeh…"

It had been so long since the fight against Grandfather that the operatives had all forgotten that he didn't always need to touch someone to zombify them. Fanny's eyes closed as she concentrated, a red beam of light seeming to flood from her into the nearest operatives - Kuki, Wally, Patton, and Abby - flashing before turning them into Senior Citizombies as well.

Nigel and Rachel let go of their friends, whom they had tried to anchor down by grabbing their arms. "Soo…any last words from either o' yeh?" Fanny crossed her arms as the Zombies all went and stood behind her, showing her their support.

"Yeah…what did you do to my best friend?" Rachel asked coldly.

Fanny's eyebrows went up, the words sending a dagger into her heart. Rachel had never called them friends before, much less best friends. But…_There's nothing yeh could do about this now, even if you wanted to. It's too late_. Fanny told herself. "She never existed. Wally, get her."

Wally obeyed, holding Rachel down. She struggled, and managed to kick him square in the mouth, but he just kept coming. A moment later, not only was Rachel turned, but she and Wally had turned Nigel as well.

"Mission complete?" She asked to her wrist watch.

"So long as you're clear over there," Chad answered, "I just got done where I am…then we can upload the virus into the computer, and blow this joint. The Kids Next Door will be the official down fall of kids everywhere…"

"All right…we're done then," Cree added over the radio. "I've finished my section. Tell me, did somebody get my bratty sister?"

"Yea…I got her," Fanny responded, cutting the line. She sighed, and sat down where she was. The Kids Next Door…what had once been like family to her…she had just completely brought down.

"Hello, Fanny," The voice was uncharacteristically serious, but still one she would have recognized anywhere. She turned around. Hoagie stood there, a Birthday Suit on. "Before you ask, I managed to recalibrate it when you attacked my friends…." He sighed, glancing at the zombie versions of his friends, who all looked like they were gearing up to attack them.

"Hold it," Fanny called to the Senior Citizombies. "I'll take this one." They were brainless now, willing to listen to any order coming from an adult. They obeyed. Fanny got up. "So…yer challenging me, then?"

"I don't see anyone else around who betrayed me."

"I could say the same of you," She hissed. Hoagie looked puzzled. If Fanny noticed, she didn't care. "I may not be able to zombify yeh while yeh wear that suit, but I can still fight yeh.."

Hoagie nodded grimly. "Yeah…" He bent his knees, trying to lock himself into place. "Well….give it your best shot."


	12. Sacrifice

**Author's Note: **My apologies to you, Melanie (thank you for your kind e-mail, though), but Malchik Gay will not be updated until tomorrow night. I'm trying to make those chapters lengthier, and have already decided to spend all of tomorrow on that fic alone. Besides, I'm feeling more 2/86 right now. …I think I've got carpal tunnel. My hand is killing me as I type, but I HAVE TO FINISH THIS RIGHT NOW, and damn the consequence.

_I will sacrifice all I have in life to clear my conscience. I will sacrifice, I will sacrifice all I have in life, sacrifice, sacrifice. **Sacrifice by T.A.T.U.**_

"I don't know what yeh think yer doin', Gilligan. You can't take me," she crossed her arms, studying him. He looked ridiculous in the outfit, but so determined that she couldn't bring herself to actually laugh at him.

"No, I can't," He admitted. "But I still have to try, don't I?" Fanny took a running start and jumped, landing beside Hoagie and tried to deliver a karate chop to Hoagie's arm. The suit blocked it for him. So long as he wore it, she would not be able to directly damage him. "What are Cree and Chad planning?" He demanded, grabbing her leg as she swung a kick at him. She pulled herself free from his grasp.

"Why should I tell _yeh_?"

"You seemed so determined you're going to win…what does it matter?" Hoagie asked, striking as close to a martial pose as he could manage. So long as he wore the suit, he was protected, but still at a major disadvantage. Two, really. First, he could not hold a weapon. Second, he had never been the most proficient fighter, and the suit was heavy, making him clumsier than normal.

"They're uploading the virus into the computer…it will infect all Kids Next Door members in the world, and then --"

"The Kids Next Door are responsible for the downfall of all kids…I see," Hoagie said softly. "I guess it's fitting."

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" She dropped down to the floor and swung her leg out in an arch, knocking into Hoagie's legs. He was immediately dropped off balance. He fell, and she put her foot down on his chest.

She had won.

"It means," Hoagie said slowly, answering her question from a moment ago, "That it was a Kids Next Door member who facilitated this whole thing in the first place."

"I'm not a member anymore," Fanny said, pressing a button on the side of her watch. The laser from earlier started up. Hoagie gave a slight gasp, closing his eyes. The Birthday Suit's weakness was lasers. Fanny knew that. It was just a particularly durable type of plastic, but lasers…well, they could melt them.

"I had hoped you would be," Hoagie kept his eyes closed, waiting for the end to come.

"…What did yeh say?" He opened his eyes. She still had him pinned down, but she had pointed the laser away. It was still on, but it was a few inches away.

"I was hoping you'd come back to us," Hoagie admitted. "I knew it was a long shot, but you seemed well on your way to….I liked you. A lot." It was no admittal of love, and with the situation being what it was, Hoagie was even less sure of his feelings towards the girl than he had been previously. But he still didn't hate her. That alone spoke volumes.

"There's nothing we can do about this, anymore, Numbuh 2," She fell easily back into the habit of code names, but shook her head. "It's too late."

"No it's not!" he said stubbornly, pushing himself up. The force of his movement toppled her, forcing her to the ground. She fell, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her back up. The others were watching them with half-interest, not really caring. The senior-Citizombification made them only care about what they were told to care about…and tapioca pudding.

"Then what the hell do we do? Hmm?" Fanny demanded. Hoagie looked thoughtful, then tried to snap his fingers. He remembered his birthday suit, and looked embarrassed.

"Heh..can't do that. Anyways, though…I've got it!"

"What, then?"

"Last time, all we had to do was decommission whomever did it. So…" He paused, realizing what that would mean.

"Yeh have to decommission me too…" She said softly. Hoagie nodded.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. It's only fair…But we've got teh go get Chad and Cree an' decommission them, too, and before they get to the computers."

"Right," Hoagie nodded, feeling as though he'd just been stabbed in the heart. That Fanny was willing to do this…was helping him…_We owe you a lot, Fanny…_ "Hey, Fanny…get Nigel to go to the decommissioning room."

"Why?" She asked. "Oh, never mind, we don't have time for explanations…Numbuh 1, go to the decommissioning room. The rest of yeh…stay here or somethin', I don't care.." The Zombies nodded, all just sitting where they were, except Nigel who obediently followed them.

"All right, this way!" Hoagie announced, grabbing her hand as best as he could through the Birthday Suit. He lead her past the whiz bee deck, past her old office, and into what had once been Rachel's. They passed several Senior Citizombies on the way, but they ignored them. _Guess it's because I came with the bad guys…_Fanny decided, as she and Hoagie made it to the Global Kids Next Door Supreme Leaduh's office. Chad was hard at work, typing frantically into the computer.

"Damn…they changed the passwords on us.." He muttered, concentrating. Cree glanced up from over his shoulder.

"Fanny…why do you have Hoagie Gilligan with you?" Cree demanded.

"Because we're taking you teen traitors down!" Hoagie said, as Fanny hit her palm against her face.

"Yeh're such a dork," She said with a grown. "But he's right. Yeh two are finally getting' decommissioned, jest like yeh should have been several years ago!"

"Double traitor," Cree hissed, running to attack the Irish red head. Leaving Chad for Hoagie to handle.

"Heh..so…" Hoagie gulped. Chad got up from his seat.

"All right, brat….time to take you down…" Chad cracked his knuckles, before activating his Battle Ready Armor. _I've got to get him away from that computer…_ Hoagie decided.

"Fanny, run!" He said, running past her. He heard Chad laugh behind him.

"Doesn't he realize the virus will still get him once I upload it? Stupid Hoagie…"

"Hey, Chad!" Hoagie cat-called, "Nice bra! Do you have a pair of panties in the same color?"

That did it. Chad ran after the chubby teen, chasing at his heels. But Fanny was not having an easy time with Cree. "Give it up…you know we're better than you. You'd joined the winning team, and now you're giving it up…for Hoagie Gilligan," Cree rolled her eyes. But she looked away in that moment, and Fanny was able to deliver a punch to the older girl's stomach. It knocked the wind from her, and Fanny activated the rockets on the boots of her Battle Ready Armor, flying to Hoagie.

"Give me yer hand, stupid," She yelled to him. He obliged her, but she had to grab onto him with both hands to prevent him from sliding out. And he was _heavy_. Chad and Cree gave chase, directly on their tails.

Fanny landed on one of the higher platforms of the Moon Base, she and Hoagie ducking inside one of the nearest rooms. Cree and Chad followed. "They're cornered now," Chad said triumphantly.

"That's what we wanted you to think!" Hoagie slammed the door shut behind them. He was no longer wearing the Birthday Suit. Instead, it was on Nigel Uno, who helped Hoagie and Fanny force Cree and Chad both into the decommissioning chairs.

"Just one person left…" Nigel said softly, as Cree and Chad were strapped in, struggling in vain. He turned to Fanny.

"Wrong," Hoagie said, "Two left."

"..What? What are yeh talkin' about?!" Fanny demanded.

"I'm going to get decommissioned, too," Hoagie said, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. "Look, I don't want to be in an organization that wouldn't allow someone like you in it. You've proven yourself, but no matter what..they'd never let you back in. And that's not all right with me."

"All right, old friend," Nigel said, going to the controls of the Decommissioning unit. "If that's your decision."

"It is."

Hoagie and Fanny sat down beside each other, watching as the tv screens came down, the plungers striking them in the face….immediately, about one quarter of their memory was erased. None of them would ever remember what had happened today.

* * *

"Hey, Fanny, wait up!" Fanny groaned, and turned, waiting for the hefty boy to catch up to her. "Are we doing something Saturday?"

"Don't yeh have any other friends?" She demanded.

"They're always busy…you should know that. Rachel's your best friend, after all, and she and the others are always doing extra credit. Talk about not having lives!" Fanny gave a slight chuckle.

"They're startin' teh get the wrong idea about us…" she pointed out.

"So? I wouldn't mind it," Hoagie said, reaching for her hand. She pulled away.

"And what makes you so sure I'd want to date yeh?"

"Aww..c'mon…just one little date?"

"No!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Aww, c'mon," Hoagie said, smirking. "You know you want me. Just admit it to yourself. I want you…" He wrapped an arm around her. This time, she didn't move away.

"Yer just lucky I like you, Gilligan.."

"Oh? Like…how?"

"It means I can stand yeh," she elaborated, but then her frown quickly turned into a smile. "But…maybe one day we could be more."

_**The End**_


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